Bogey

Simon

A bell rings faintly in Jack's memory. The Team is arranging itself in the training center; the guides stretching by the chamber lanes, the warriors prepping horses in the arena.

Leena, holding Seth's shoulder as she pulls one foot to her thigh, says, "Can you actually believe it? I mean actually? I never knew Bogey to find his own feet, let alone a starpath." She leans her copper head to one side and shakes it, her pinned-up hair flittering in the windless center. "How do you think he pulled it off? I can't imagine how the cleverest of mares do it, with Sabriel programming."

"I only saw that guy once," says Seth, wincing while he stretches an arm across his chest. "At the last Capture. Do we know for sure what happened to his eye?"

Bello yells from over in the arena. They turn to see the warrior flick a whip at Taban, who falls, shakes sand out of his long hair and charges. Both he and Bello land in the dirt bank.

"He was attacked on a trial run," says Jack, surprising the other two. They hadn't noticed he was there.

"I heard it was a C1." Seth whistles. "Is that really true?"

"It's the rumor. He had to retire shortly after. King Liam filled his position."

"That's why Corelai's lead warrior. If you ask me, I would've preferred to stick with guardian, like the Queen." says Leena. She's stopped stretching and is watching the warriors fit their weapons.

"I think it worked out for the best. Corelai's a beast on the perimeter and Sabriel is a genius at Declination." Seth points vaguely to the ceiling. "They say he's the best programmer that's ever existed."

Jack twists his torso sharply to the right. "That's a big thing to boast, but I imagine it's not far from the truth. He's been up there since the accident, and he was only a child when it happened."

"Can you imagine?" says Leena, still staring at the warriors. "All that time, studying and programming all alone. That'd drive me mad."

Seth stops stretching and nudges her. "I think you're already mad, Leena. What are you looking at?"

Leena blinks and goes to answer, but Seth falls onto his knees suddenly. Bello, who's the cause for the disruption as he's just lunged headfirst into the backs of Seth's thighs, gets up and runs away, leaving the three guides in a wake of laughter.

"Stay on your side, Horse Runner," shouts Seths. "Your boyfriend looks lonely."

Taban, his hands on his hips, is about to respond from the arena when King Liam strides into the center from the courtyard.

"Dream Team," he roars, his voice booming into and bouncing around the rafters. "Welcome to today's session. Has everyone warmed up?"

Everyone comes out of their stretches slowly and heads to their line of attention, Bellow and Taban brushing off the topmost layer of dirt on their training armor. Gabriella, who'd been riding lazy laps around the arena, slows to a stop to join them.

"Today I'm in charge," says King Liam, winking at Jack. He points to the back of the center. "Warriors, I'll be with you for most of the day training for chase and capture on C5 apparithes. Guides, you'll be working on endurance. Your chambers are ready when you are."

Five chambers sprout in the form of spinning, pink cylinders on the guides' side of the center. The guides, usually enthusiastic about graduating from one level to the next, look nervously at one another as they form lines of two.

"Is this C5 endurance?" says Seth, falling into line behind Jack. "He didn't say."

"I imagine it is." Jack is thankful King Liam has taken the reigns today. He turns over his shoulder, looks down at the ground, at Seth's feet shifting jerkily through the sand. Seth had a difficult time with the last session; Jack had intervened when he passed out in the middle of the simulation. That was a C4. "Relax," he says quietly, and places a hand on Seth's forearm. "King Liam is watching. And I'm never far away. Okay?"